Gawon

Gawon was born in Ohio, United States, before moving to Edgewater, New Jersey as an infant and later relocating to South Korea during elementary school with her Korean parents. Source: KProfiles

Growing up across the United States and South Korea helped shape the international perspective and bilingual fluency that fans often notice in her personality and interviews. Source: KProfiles

After attending an international school where English was her primary language, Gawon had to actively improve her Korean by watching Korean children's educational programs. Source: NamuWiki

Her ability to switch naturally between English and Korean today is especially impressive considering she essentially had to relearn parts of the language as a child. Source: Generasia

Gawon was cast through an Instagram direct message from YG Entertainment during her second year of middle school in 2019. Source: NamuWiki

She trained under YG Entertainment for approximately one year before later joining THEBLACKLABEL. Source: Generasia

During her trainee years, she trained alongside future idols including KISS OF LIFE's Julie and H1-KEY's Hwiseo. Source: NamuWiki

She also overlapped with future NewJeans member Danielle during her time within the YG trainee system. Source: Generasia

Before debuting as an idol, Gawon worked as an Adidas Kids model in South Korea at the age of 10. Source: NamuWiki

She also participated in cosmetics and fashion pictorial work during her trainee years, building an impressive modeling résumé long before joining MEOVV. Source: Generasia

While still a trainee, Gawon was accepted into New York University (NYU), one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. Source: Kpopping

She ultimately chose to pursue her idol career instead of attending university, creating one of the most notable "what if" stories among fifth-generation idols. Source: Fandom

As a child, Gawon dreamed of becoming a lawyer, an architect, a fashion designer, and even a princess. Source: KProfiles

Those diverse ambitions reflected both her creative interests and her academic strengths long before entering the entertainment industry. Source: KProfiles

In addition to being fluent in Korean and English, Gawon is studying Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish. Source: KProfiles

If she could have any superpower, she has said she would choose the ability to instantly speak every language in the world. Source: KProfiles

Gawon's favorite Frank Ocean songs include "Self Control," "Moon River," and "Godspeed." Source: KProfiles

Fans often point to her music preferences as evidence of her thoughtful and introspective personality. Source: KProfiles

Despite belonging to a group built around a cat concept, Gawon is allergic to both cat and dog fur. Source: KProfiles

This irony has become one of the most frequently shared pieces of MEOVV trivia among PAWMPAWM fans. Source: KProfiles

Her hobbies include reading and practicing pilates. Source: KProfiles

Gawon also loves mint chocolate and mochi, two foods she has mentioned repeatedly as favorites. Source: KProfiles

Her preferred emoji is the dinosaur emoji, a quirky choice that fans have embraced as part of her personal brand. Source: KProfiles

Gawon is the tallest member of MEOVV, standing at approximately 173 cm (5'8"). Source: Kpop Wiki (Fandom)

Her height, model proportions, and sophisticated image have made her one of the group's standout fashion figures since debut. Source: KProfiles

In 2025, Gawon became a brand ambassador for Prada, further cementing her status as one of the most fashion-forward members of MEOVV. Source: Kpop Wiki (Fandom)

Fans often describe Gawon as calm, disciplined, intelligent, and quietly charismatic — qualities that have helped establish her as one of MEOVV's most recognizable members both on and off the stage. Source: KProfiles